Staff News

This school year may look a little different, but that doesn’t change the impact teachers have on student success. That’s why Academy Sports and Outdoors is thanking them with a 10% discount of the entire purchase for the month of September.

To redeem the discount on Academy.com, verify your teacher status with the id.me buttons on the Shopping Cart page. Once verified, copy and paste promo code into the promo code section on the Shopping Cart page for a single-use redemption.

To redeem in the store, simply present your valid teacher professional ID at checkout.

Dallas ISD is committed to providing exemplary customer service in every corner of the district. We’ve committed to the tenets of Core 4— Focused, Fast, Flexible, and Friendly—which ensure we are delivering professional, high-quality service. To ensure this commitment continues to be part of everyday life in the district, we have redesigned Core 4 to include cultural tenets rooted in our principles of racial equity and cultural responsiveness, comprehensive accountability, responsible use of resources, and collaboration. These changes will benefit our staff and improve communications with our students, parents, and the community.

The first step is for each department/campus to assign at least one employee to serve as its team’s Cultural Tenets Ambassador. This individual will be responsible for training his or her colleagues in the upcoming months on the Core 4 tenets. The goal is to have every Dallas ISD employee trained by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Departments/campuses consisting of 100 or more employees, are encouraged to select two employees to serve as their ambassadors.

When choosing an ambassador, please consider choosing a member of your team who demonstrates leadership skills and can execute training at a high-level.

Once employees participate in the activity at the department level, there will be an online assessment to complete. It will be essential to ensure employees complete this assessment as it will be the tracking mechanism for ensuring all employees received the training. It will also be used to gauge how well they have internalized the tenets and be able to fully apply them to their daily tasks.

Please submit the name(s) of your campus ambassador by Tuesday, Sept. 15, here.

Dallas ISD’s Office of Transformation and Innovation will open the application process on Sept. 8, 2020 for the Innovation Engine, a program designed to provide funding and support to neighborhood schools interested in implementing innovative programs or initiatives. The program will select up to 20 neighborhood schools to receive $50,000 each to implement their proposed model during the 2020-2021 school year. Principals can submit applications, with executive directors approval, by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020.

There will be three live Q&A sessions hosted through September click here to register.

Visit the Innovation Engine web page to view application materials and learn more. For questions, contact Shakeatha Butler, OTI Director shakbutler@dallasisd.org

The Extended Learning Opportunities Department is looking for talented teachers with a unique skill set that can teach virtually or in-person as part of the afterschool enrichment program. Classes and programs offered need to be enriching, engaging, and empowering for students in grades kindergarten through 12.

Interested teachers please visit the Extended Learning Opportunities website and click on the Enrichment Teacher Application link to submit information.

The Social and Emotional Learning Team encourages all staff to practice self-care in preparation for the new school year and as a way of dealing with stress. District employees are invited to participate in free weekly 60-minute virtual mindfulness and emotional intelligence sessions provided by Mastermind.  The sessions will focus on science-based mindfulness strategies for cultivating self-awareness and self-management. Each session will include information and teachings on emotional intelligence, formal and informal mindfulness exercises, and key takeaways for daily life.  Join us every Wednesday at 7 p.m. through Dec. 16.  Register here to join the class.  We are excited to share this transformative practice with you!

The Benefits Department, Human Capital Management, provides employees is providing you an opportunity to access professional support from LifeWorks—an innovative, confidential, and free employee assistance program.

Whether you are looking to overcome an obstacle, improve your overall well-being, or reach a personal goal, LifeWorks can support you with your mental, emotional, and physical health goals. You can personalize the content based on your needs and interests in the areas of life, family, health, and work.

Talk with experts, access community resources, or receive trusted referrals for challenges such as:

• Marriage and relationships
• Stress, anxiety, depression
• Personal conflicts
• Achieving life goals
• Coping with loneliness
• Alcohol and drug issues

Connect today with LifeWorks 24/7/365 by phone, online, or mobile app. You can access the LifeWorks Portal through the OneAccess Portal at https://oneaccess.dallasisd.org. Once logged in, you can click on the My Applications option and it will take you to individual apps, including LifeWorks. You can also call (972) 925-4000.

Schools reopening a week early for students moving between certain grade levels

While school starts in a distance-learning model for all district students on Tues., Sept. 8, current plans call for the restart of on-campus classes in Dallas ISD on Mon., Oct. 5. Based on the recent leveling out of Dallas County COVID-19 cases, Dallas ISD is inviting students who will attend classes for the first time in a new building to return a week early, on Mon., Sept. 28.

Students in grades prekindergarten, kindergarten, those moving to a new campus for fourth or sixth grade, from elementary to a new middle school, and from middle school to a new building for high school have the option to start school on Mon., Sept. 28. This early start of on-campus classes only applies to students who are transitioning to a new building. Students who are simply moving to the next grade in a school they attended last year will return with all other students on Oct. 5. A document detailing the phased-in reopening is available here.

School Leadership Chief Jolee Healey says giving the district’s youngest learners and students moving to new schools a one-week jump-start on the school year will give them a chance to get acclimated to new surroundings and start building relationships with teachers and peers.

“The current health environment has made the start of school an unusual experience for all students,” said Healey. “Add to that the stress of navigating a new building, and it’s not a stretch to realize that students may need a period of adjustment to get acclimated. That’s the idea behind the one-week early return for these students.”

Healey said principals of schools receiving these students will be reaching out to their parents to communicate plans for the early restart of on-campus classes.

Beginning today, the district is also launching a parent survey asking parents to indicate their preference for on-campus or distance learning for their children. Parents are urged to respond to the survey by Sept. 7.

As previously announced, the district is also phasing in designated special education related services by appointment in a one on one setting on Sept. 8, and certain special education classes will be opened for face-to-face instruction with parent opt-in on Sept. 17.

The phased-in return to campus also impacts athletics. At high school, athletics strength and conditioning, sports and related UIL extracurricular activities will restart per the following schedule.

• Tuesday, Sept. 8—Varsity ONLY for the following sports: cross-country, football, golf, swimming, team tennis, and volleyball.
• Monday, Sept. 14—Sub-varsity (ninth grade and JV) for the following sports: cross-country, football, golf, swimming, team tennis, and volleyball
• Monday, Sept. 21—UIL marching band, drill team, and cheerleading

Plans call for the start of middle school conditioning Sept. 28, followed by practices for athletes, UIL band, drill team and cheerleaders on Oct. 5 and the start of in-district football and volley ball games on Oct. 12. As of now, the middle school football season will consist of six to seven games and the volleyball season will include 10 to 12 games.

The restart of in-person classes and athletic activities will be subject to all approved district health and safety protocols. District officials caution these plans are based on current county health data with the understanding that plans may be adjusted if data changes. All activities will be closely monitored, and if confirmed cases of COVID-19 are detected, appropriate action will be taken to protect students and staff.

Specifically, the phased-in restart of athletics and UIL activities will be required to comply with the following key tenets, and transportation will not be provided for athletic or UIL activities.

Guidance:  Details of the CDC- and UIL-aligned protocols have been provided and explained to each of the campus coordinators and will be strictly enforced.

Implementation:  All schools will implement a “Small Group Instruction” Model to minimize the number of student athletes on campus at a given time. Strength and conditioning sessions will occur outdoors. Marching Band, Drill Team, Cheerleading and other extracurriculars will implement all required safety protocols for participation.

Monitoring: Central office athletic directors and athletic trainers as well as visual and performing arts staff will monitor and assist with all phases of the reentry implementation. Campus visits will be completed to ensure fidelity of process implementation.

A change to DH (REGULATION) announced today will allow the children of classroom teachers and campus staff to accompany their parents to campuses during the period of districtwide distance learning for all. Children must be at least 4 years of age and no older than 15 and can be enrolled in any school district to qualify.

All campus staff must request and receive permission in writing from the principal before they bring their children to work with them. Approval can be revoked by the principal or district at any time during the districtwide distance learning period.

The change will avoid creating a hardship for teachers and campus staff who choose to work on campus and whose children would otherwise have to attend daycare or stay home alone.

Teachers and campus staff who take advantage of this option are responsible for the personal safety of their children and for ensuring there are no disruptions to their daily tasks or campus operations. The children must follow all district and campus health and safety procedures.

Children who are enrolled as Dallas ISD students must abide by all district rules, regulations, guidelines and expectations while on campus.